


Grandpa's Gift

by MRKR (MarionetteKuromi)



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Backstory, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Gen, References to Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:15:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28589373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarionetteKuromi/pseuds/MRKR
Summary: Lore behind how Denny and Ven met and grew up together + the prologue of Stardew Valley.
Kudos: 3





	Grandpa's Gift

**Author's Note:**

> The OCs are farmers from a co-op game I play with someone.

Denny was filled with excitement as he cleaned up his desk and packed all of his things. He waved goodbye to his friends and left the classroom, he rushed to his bike at the parking lot. As soon as he unlocked it, he pedalled home. 

He was a 14 year old middle school student at the time. He and his family lived in the city. That day was the day his grandfather was coming home from the country. The old man was a farmer who had just retired recently. Denny adored him and was glad to know that he would be staying with them longer.

"I'm home!" he announced. 

"Welcome home, sweetie," his mom greeted. 

"Is Grandpa here yet?" 

"Not yet. He said he's almost here."

Just in time, they heard the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Denny enthusiastically ran towards the door and opened it. 

He looked up and a huge smile formed on his face. "Grandpa!" 

The old man looked down. "Is that you, Dennis, my boy?" 

"Haha. Of course it's me!"

"My, my, you've gotten so big, haven't you?" The old man patted his head. 

Denny's smile shifted into a slight surprise when he noticed that his grandpa didn't come alone. He was with a little boy, smaller than him, possibly a few years younger. He had dark green hair and black eyes. 

The boy noticed Denny staring at him, so he timidly averted his gaze. 

Denny's mom came over to them to greet the old man. 

"Welcome home, Dad. I see you brought someone home? Why don't you two come in?" 

The lady led the two of them to the living room, and had them take their seats on the couch. 

Finally, the old man began with the introduction. "This young man here is Ven. I found him a few years ago, and it didn't seem like anyone was taking care of him, so I took him in myself. He had been helping me with my farming, you know?"

"I see. He seems like such a good kid," said the mother with a gentle smile. "Thanks for helping out my father, Ven."

Ven nodded. 

"He's a little shy, so don't expect him to talk much. He's about the same age as Dennis, around two years younger."

A few hours later, Denny's father came home from work and the whole family could finally eat dinner. He was introduced to Ven, and he gave him a warm welcome. 

"There's something I have to ask of you two," said Grandpa. "Since I'll be staying here permanently, would it be okay as well to let little Ven live with us?" 

The married couple looked at each other for a second and nodded at each other. 

"Sure, why not?" the father answered. 

"Denny has a futon in his room. It's the only extra bed we have right now," said the mother. "He'll be sleeping in your room. Is that okay, dear?" 

"Yeah, okay," Denny answered.

_____________

Denny had just finished preparing the futon when Ven came out of the shower. 

"Hey, you want to take the bed?" Denny asked. 

"Isn't that your bed?" 

"Yeah. I just thought it would be more comfortable for you to sleep on."

"I'll be living here for a long while. Are you sure?" 

"Mom and Dad can buy me a new bed. I'm sure they will."

Ven paused for a moment. "We'll switch every night until you get a new bed. How does that sound?" 

Denny grinned. "Deal."

Ven tucked himself in.

"Hey, thanks for helping Grandpa out," said Denny.

"He took me in. It's the least I could do for him. That farm is gonna be a mess now that we're gone. I hope at least Lewis takes care of it."

"Lewis?"

"Oh.. he's the mayor of the town we lived in."

"Did you have any friends there?" 

"Not really. Everyone there seemed to have their own thing going on. There was this guy named Sebastian. I thought I could relate to him since he was a bit like me, but he only trusted his friends Sam and Abigail."

"What was it like living there?" 

"I guess it's… peaceful. The whole town was surrounded by mountains, and there were rarely any cars passing by, so compared to here, you might say that it feels fresh. Oh, there are monsters living in the mines though."

"Monsters?! Tell me!" 

Denny spent the next several minutes listening to Ven's stories until both of them got exhausted. 

The family was gradually adjusting to Grandpa and Ven living with them. They sent Ven to school. It was his first time since there was no school where he lived. Later on, they finally bought a new bed so Denny didn't have to keep switching with Ven. Eventually, the two of them got closer. Since they lived together, they may as well refer to each other as brothers.

Denny would face some bullies once in a while. Since Ven was good at combat, he always picked up Denny from school to make sure no one would mess with them. Being the older one, Denny felt a bit ashamed to be the one being protected, but he appreciated Ven's effort anyway. Denny had also noticed that Ven was a bit clingy to him, maybe because he was the only friend he had. Denny didn't mind. He felt blessed to have such a cute boy as his brother.

______________

Two years later, Denny and Ven came home. They were wondering why there was a doctor in the house, and their grandpa was in bed, not looking so good. They found out their grandfather was severely ill, and he might not be able to recover from it. 

Ven dashed out of the house, wiping his tears with his sleeves. Denny went after him. Ven was a fast runner so he couldn't catch up. 

Soon, it was dark out. Denny had been looking for him. Fortunately, he spotted him by the riverside, sulking on the grass. Denny sat there beside him. 

"He's old. Of course, this day would come soon. But…"

Denny placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know. I'm scared. We both love him."

Ven couldn't help but cling onto Denny and sob. Denny embraced him. He had to be there for him. He quitely sobbed with him.

The following night, they were both called by their grandpa, who was bedridden. 

"My dear grandsons. Listen, I don't have much time. There's something I must give to you two."

He pulled out an envelope and handed it to them. 

Denny took it from him. 

"Don't open it yet. There will be a right time for you to read that letter… Dennis, there will come a time when your spirit will be crushed by the burden of modern life, and when that happens, I want you to open this letter. It is my last gift for the two of you."

It wasn't long until the old man had passed away. Several days later, the family held his funeral. 

Dressed in black, the two of them stood in front of his grave.

Denny pulled out the envelope, and just looked at it. "I wonder what he wrote in this."

"I think I might know," said Ven. "Well, it's just an assumption."

_____________

Eight years later… 

"Your change, sir. Thank you…" 

A man with long dark green hair tied into a ponytail stood behind the counter, wearing a uniform of a convenience store worker. 

He just finished his shift for the day. He went shopping for ingredients on the way home. Once he arrived, he left the groceries in the kitchen, and headed to the bath to wash the sweat off. 

After that, he proceeded to the kitchen to prepare dinner. He heard the door open, so he went out of the kitchen. 

"Welcome home, Denny."

He seemed rather exhausted. His shoulders slouched while he removed his shoes on the porch. His sky blue hair got a bit messy from the hectic travel. 

"How was work today?" Ven asked. 

"Ehh… You know, same as always."

"Well, you seem tired. Go and wash up, okay?" Ven told him before going back to the kitchen. 

Denny followed him before heading to the bath. He leaned his chin on Ven's shoulder, his mouth curving into a relaxed grin. "Smells good."

Ven blushed, although he just assumed he was talking about the food. 

"I just took a bath, you know. You're gonna have your dirt all over me."

Denny sulked all of a sudden. "I hate working at Joja. It's the same everyday. But I promised Grandpa I would take care of you, so I have to work hard."

Ven paused for a second. "Do you still have it?" 

"What?" 

"The letter."

"Yeah?"

"You remember what he said, right? If you're feeling this way now, I think it might be time."

________

The next day… 

Denny was in his office at Joja corp. It was the same as always, employees sitting in front of their computers, staring at the screen all day, doing paperwork. His face was lazily resting on the palm of his left hand while his right hand typed on the keyboard. 

He pushed away from the desk and sighed as he rested himself on the chair. 

Denny realized that this was what his grandfather was talking about. He had gotten to the point in life where he was stuck in a loop. He needed change. 

He opened his drawer where he kept the envelope that his grandfather gave him. He took it out. Finally, he opened it, and pulled out the folded paper inside it. 

His eyes dilated when he read what was in it. 

________

"Welcome home, Denny," Ven greeted. He was a bit surprised to see him panting. He probably ran his way from the station. 

"Ven… I read Grandpa's letter."

They sat on the couch in the living room. Denny pulled out the letter and showed it to Ven. 

"This is…" 

Ven read the letter:

_"Dear Dennis,_

_If you're reading this, you must be in dire need of a change. The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life... real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong._

_I've enclosed the deed to that place… my pride and joy: Rainbow Sky Farm. It's located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It's the perfect place to start your new life._

_This was my most precious gift of all, and now it's yours. I know you and Ven will honor the family name, my dear. Good luck._

_Love, Grandpa"_

Tears fell down from Ven's eyes.

"I want to start a new life, but I don't know how to take care of the farm or anything about Stardew Valley. So, I'll only go there if you're coming with me," said Denny. 

Ven wiped his tears and faced Denny with a determined look. "Let's go."

The next day, they made all the preparations for their departure. 

________

Denny was looking at the passing scenery while the bus moved along. 

"I'm finally going back there after all these years," Ven mumbled. 

Soon enough, they had arrived. There was someone waiting for them, a red-haired woman who introduced herself as Robin. She already heard of them from Lewis and escorted them to their grandfather's farm. 

"Lewis!" Ven called to the old man standing in front of the old cabin. 

"Ven? My my, it's good to see you again, my boy. You've grown into a fine young man."

Lewis looked to the other boy. "And you must be Denny."

"It's great to finally meet you, Mr. Mayor," Denny greeted. 

They spent a few minutes talking about the farm's condition. There were three cabins, all old but still in a good enough condition to live in. Robin even tried to smooth talk them into getting her to upgrade them. The farm itself was a mess because no one had been maintaining it for years. Weeds, trees, and stumps had grown all over the place. Stones and twigs were scattered as well. No big deal. With some clean-up, the land can be usable.

Once they got familiar, Robin and Lewis left them to do their own business. 

Ven walked off somewhere. Denny followed him and found him standing in front of another cabin. It was the same size, but compared to the other one, this one had stone walls. 

"Grandpa had Robin make this cabin after he took me in."

Ven opened the door. The place was dusty and the only source of lighting it had was the broad daylight. Even so, the place was still important to him after all those years. 

Once again, he shed tears. "I'm home."


End file.
